Endocrine Abstracts

Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) is a classic and sometimes severe complication of autoimmune process associated with thyroid diseases, more common in Graves’ disease. Due to its functional impairment and disfiguring clinical presentation, TAO affects the quality of life of patients. Few studies have examined the importance of this impact in these patients. The main objective of this retrospective study is to determine if there is a correlation between the deterioration of quality of life in patients seen in a multidisciplinary orbitopathy consultation and the severity or inflammatory of the TAO. 101 patients (75 women, mean age 51±12 years, 93 Graves’ diseases) consulting for a TAO between March and November 2017, completed the GO-specific quality of life questionnaire, GO-QOL, validated by EUGOGO. This questionnaire is sub-devised in two subscales, one measuring the consequences of diplopia and decreased visual acuity on visual functioning, and one measuring the psychosocial consequences of a changed appearance. Clinical activity was evaluated using the Clinical Activity Score (CAS) and clinical severity based on three criteria (decrease of visual acuity, oculomotor disorders, proptosis). 9.9% of patients had active TAO (CAS ≥3) and 47.5% had severe impairment. No significant correlation was found between quality of life, both for visual functioning and for appearance, and TAO severity (respectively P=0.89 and 0.88). However, inflammatory activity was significantly associated with impairment of the quality of life for visual functioning (P=0.01) and there was a non-significant trend for appearance (P=0.08). The deterioration of the quality of life in terms of appearance was significantly more important for women (P<0.001). This study confirms an alteration in the quality of life among patients with TAO, correlated with inflammatory activity, which is more important in women because of appearance consequences. During TAO treatment, the GO-QoL questionnaire could be useful for early detection of patients needing psychological support.